IBM Thinkpad ultraportable X30/X31/32 owner's club

[lobster]

I'm thinking about having a linux dual boot, for when I just want to surf the internet. Is there a low power distribution that would work on the x31? Can you slow down the processor? What's the longest the battery would last, and can someone who has no linux experience get it working in less than a day?

You could use something like xubuntu
fluxbuntu or opengeu which are all based off ubuntu , the other lightweight distros that exist such as puppy linux/URL] or [URL="http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/"]damn small linux are IMO not as easy to use if your have ever used ubuntu.

The irony of using one of these light distros is that you proberly want to use firefox to do browsing, thunderbird for email and those two apps are not that light and battery friendly, it has been said firefox 3 has improved. I guess you could use opera if you like on any of the above.

 

[zenie]

I'm not sure they've done anything smaller than the x31... if they have it's probably newer and more expensive.

http://www.rediff.com/getahead/2007/aug/09funda.htm

X32 any better?

And at the bag suggestions!

 

[Biddlybee]

I don't think it'd fit in my handbag

Buy a slightly bigger handbag?

ovaltina beat me too it.

 

[editor]

What about the wifi? A big selling point for the eee for me is that it allegedly is super-compatible. Is this true of the thinkpad? I took my packard bell to argentina and I can't get wifi anywhere, despite it having a seemingly functional card. This is a nasty surprise for something that I always thought was based on a universal protocol.

I can't think why the card wouldn't work for most wi-fi set ups, and in the worst case, you could always buy a newer USB/CF Wi-Fi adapter.

IBM's Wi-Fi connection interface sure look better than Windows too:

Here's the conclusion from a comprehensive rave review:

If, however, you are looking for an ultraportable system to go where you go then the X31 is a very polished solution. The hardware is powerful given the unit's size and the software solutions it ships with add greatly to the overall experience. Battery life also left little to be desired, running at about four and a half hours on the single battery and eight and a half hours when docked. Overall the system proved to be very impressive. Road warriors rejoice: the IBM X31 is a perfect travel companion.

http://www.anandtech.com/mobile/showdoc.aspx?i=1809&p=1

 

[zenie]

Buy a slightly bigger handbag?

ovaltina beat me too it.

No I don't fancy carrying a lappy round that's the point

I've seen a nice sony one though, with an 11 inch screen! Hmm!!

Will probably still got a EEE though.

 

[ovaltina]

X32 any better?

They're just a slightly different version of the x31. I can't remember what the difference in spec was, but apparently the x32 flopped because it was really, really expensive.

(I'm starting to sound like a fanboy!)

 

[ovaltina]

xubuntu

Thanks! Will have a play with that.

eta: if anyone's running one of these on 256mb memory I can send you my spare memory card. Machines running on 512mb memory will have two cards taking up both slots.

 

[Biddlybee]

No I don't fancy carrying a lappy round that's the point

X31 is a laptop isn't it? So's EEE isn't it?

 

[zenie]

X31 is a laptop isn't it? So's EEE isn't it?

Yeh but the EEE's just a few inches smaller for me to make it practical. i.e fit in a bag. both height and width wise anyway. The X31 is too big for me

 

[editor]

Yeh but the EEE's just a few inches smaller for me to make it practical. i.e fit in a bag. both height and width wise anyway. The X31 is too big for me

Don't forget to factor in the extra battery if you want to use it for a long time though! What persuaded me to get the X31 was the far superior battery life, bigger screen, rugged construction and added functionality.

I wanted something small, light and cheap enough to sling in a bag and not have to worry about it running out of juice and the X31 seems to fit the bill. But I haven't got it yet, so I might change my mind!

 

[zenie]

Yeh sorry I don't mean to be negative on this thread, I'm playing the waiting game and seeing what else is out there.

Thinkpad's are fuckin ugly though

Re; the battery I know that's something I'll have to contend with though fingers crossed the atom chip will be a bit less of a battery drain.

 

[Crispy]

I wonder what a sleep/wake time comparison between the eee and the x31 is like? I would have thought the solid-state eee wakes and sleeps quicker, which can be an important factor if you're 'just slipping it in and out of a bag'

 

[editor]

Thinkpad's are fuckin ugly though

That's a positive in my book: the crappier it looks the less likely t'ievin' yoot are going to be tempted to tax it!

 

[editor]

I wonder what a sleep/wake time comparison between the eee and the x31 is like? I would have thought the solid-state eee wakes and sleeps quicker, which can be an important factor if you're 'just slipping it in and out of a bag'

According to that review I linked to earlier, the X31 starts up in 34 seconds from cold, 5 seconds from standby and 19 secs out of hibernate.

With that long life battery, there should be no problem keeping it in standby, so 5 secs is pretty damn good.

 

[zenie]

That's a positive in my book: the crappier it looks the less likely t'ievin' yoot are going to be tempted to tax it!

You might have the right idea, I suppose it's a good idea to get these things insured isn't it....:\

I just used to hate using the X31 when I had one at an old job. That nipple thing!
What are pentium M chips? Shit or ok?

 

[ovaltina]

I wonder what a sleep/wake time comparison between the eee and the x31 is like? I would have thought the solid-state eee wakes and sleeps quicker, which can be an important factor if you're 'just slipping it in and out of a bag'

Mine wakes up from hibernation in a couple of seconds

I'm getting seriously geeky about this. Will try to film it booting up and put it on here tonight.

 

[Shippou-Sensei]

i'm looking at getting a x61 tablet


just because





plus i like the think pad functional look

 

[lobster]

back on the bag issue , my girlfriend has one of these

its not too conspicuous ..

 

[jayeola]

You could use something like xubuntu
fluxbuntu or opengeu which are all based off ubuntu , the other lightweight distros that exist such as puppy linux/URL] or [URL="http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/"]damn small linux are IMO not as easy to use if your have ever used ubuntu.

The irony of using one of these light distros is that you proberly want to use firefox to do browsing, thunderbird for email and those two apps are not that light and battery friendly, it has been said firefox 3 has improved. I guess you could use opera if you like on any of the above.

Uh-huh. I'd recommend going for a "live" version so that you can try it out without having to install it. The great thing about the X series is that you can put an OS onto a small USB key and either run the "live cd" or actually perform the install from it.

 

[hiccup]

I want one of these

 

[jayeola]

Trust me, get your hand on an X60s and you'll have to get ppl to figh tyou to use anything else.

 

[zenie]

Trust me, get your hand on an X60s and you'll have to get ppl to figh tyou to use anything else.

Pricey though!!

I'm not really keen on the squareness of the X31 IYKWIM? I prefer the widescreen kind of laptops.

But I am still deciding!!

 

[editor]

I'm not really keen on the squareness of the X31 IYKWIM? I prefer the widescreen kind of laptops.

At prices of around £200 for a well specced laptop with a big screen, long battery life, strong build and tons of features I can't get that worked up about the shape of the screen!

 

[zenie]

At prices of around £200 for a well specced laptop with a big screen, long battery life, strong build and tons of features I can't get that worked up about the shape of the screen!

But if it wasn't so high (square) it would appear a lot less bulky I guess that's what I'm getting at

 

[lobster]

But if it wasn't so high (square) it would appear a lot less bulky I guess that's what I'm getting at

its only a laptop
it does not need to fit in with the furniture

 

[editor]

Trust me, get your hand on an X60s and you'll have to get ppl to figh tyou to use anything else.

PC Pro seem to agree!

For most people, though, the larger battery is the better choice, as it offers phenomenal battery life. Even under intensive use, it kept going for three hours, 41 minutes, while it lasted for a record-breaking ten hours, 31 minutes in our light-use tests: both significant improvements over the X40 even with its extended battery in place....

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/86248/lenovo-thinkpad-x60.html

 

[editor]

But if it wasn't so high (square) it would appear a lot less bulky I guess that's what I'm getting at

But that 'bulk' would give you a much more usable laptop that is still pretty damn small.

 

[lobster]

PC Pro seem to agree!


http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/86248/lenovo-thinkpad-x60.html

10hrs doing nothing is not a realistic test.

 

[editor]

10hrs doing nothing is not a realistic test.

It says 'light use' not 'doing nothing'!

 

[ViolentPanda]

I'm still on an X30, tho' it now has a 160GB drive. Biggest downer for the X30 is USB 1.1 - though it does have a compact flash port.

Just get a £10 USB2 PCMCIA card off of ebay if you're that fussed, that's what I did for my T23 Thinkpad.